James Seymour

Partner at Berwick Solicitors

It was my godmother who inspired me to become a solicitor. She was a solicitor and brought me on a day trip to the Four Courts when I was 12. I don't know what exactly attracted me but I remember the concept of helping vulnerable people as being very appealing.

I attended university in Galway and became an apprentice solicitor with Brian Lynch & Associates in Galway City. My master, Brian Lynch, instilled in me that - above everything else - a solicitor is an officer of the court and has a duty to the law and to the public to ensure only the highest levels of honesty and integrity in the profession.

After qualification, I worked as a litigation solicitor in Sheehan & Company. This was an extremely busy firm with a huge client base. I dealt with hundreds of cases, based all over the country in all court jurisdictions and in every area of law. It was a great place to work with a great sense of camaraderie.

Sole Practitioner

In 2004, I set up as a sole practitioner with offices in both Galway and Nenagh. I would have liked to focus on litigation but being a partly rural practice I also dealt with conveyancing. It was an extremely busy and interesting time. In 2009, I decided that I had had enough of trying to cover all areas of practice. After several months of searching, I agreed to merge with another sole practitioner, Matthew Molloy.

Partnership

For a partnership to work, it’s essential that all partners have the same ideals and goals. Matt and I wanted to focus on work that we both most enjoyed - litigation. We have the same work ethic and are happily still working together six years later. The firm has expanded and now has three partners and four more solicitors employed with offices in Dublin and Galway.

Advice

I’d recommend to anyone considering a career as a solicitor to seek experience in a variety of different types of firms. Also, get involved in voluntary organisations. Finally, customer service is increasingly relevant in our profession. Prior experience of this is beneficial.